NBA Player News

Thompson came off the bench on Sunday with Dillon Brooks (ankle) back in the lineup. The rebounds and assists were solid, but the second-year wing had minimal impact in the reserve role. More concerning for fantasy managers was the fight between Thompson and Tyler Herro, with Amen tossing the Heat guard to the court. His status for Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks may be in doubt, and the Rockets only play three games in Week 10.

Daniels saw increased usage with Jalen Johnson sidelined. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate to fantasy production as he struggled mightily with nine points on 17 shots. Daniels’ outside shooting was particularly poor as he made just 1-of-7 attempts from behind the 3-point line. He was much more effective from a playmaking perspective as he dished out six assists and had no turnovers. Daniels also chipped in with his typical defensive value as he had three steals.

Hunter appeared to be in line for a big role with Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic both out of the lineup. Instead, the Hawks had difficulty keeping the game close and Hunter wound up playing his typical 26 minutes off the bench. The 27-year-old small forward has one of the most reliable bench roles in the league and should be rostered in all formats.

Without Jalen Johnson and playing through an Achilles injury, Young did his best to try to keep the Hawks in the game with the Nuggets. He scored 30 points and had nine assists in 30 minutes, but it still wasn’t enough. Young had four turnovers and was -25 in the 19-point loss, though fantasy managers can’t complain much about this effort.

Westbrook followed up his triple-double in his last game with a double-double. He might’ve had a shot at more than just two rebounds if teammate Nikola Jokic didn’t grab 17 rebounds of his own. Still, it was a solid game from Westbrook, who continues to be a must-play option while Aaron Gordon is out for the Nuggets.

Jokic only played 30 minutes as the Nuggets won by 19, meaning that he had an assist every other minute while also scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He’s the first player in NBA history to have at least 15 points, at least 15 assists and at least 15 rebounds while playing 30 minutes or less. It was another outstanding effort from the 29-year-old center, who continued an absolutely dominant run over his last eight games. While there are other MVP-level players in the league, Jokic is lapping the field this year.

Irving missed Monday’s game against the Kings with a shoulder injury. He returned Wednesday, but once against failed to assert himself in a game where Dallas was missing Luka Doncic. The 32-year-old point guard scored only 16 points on 13 shots as the Mavs lost to the Rockets by 11. Irving was a -16 in 37 minutes. With the team losing PJ Washington in the middle of the game, it might’ve been a good idea for Irving to take a few more shots, though Irving typically hasn’t stepped up with Doncic out this year.

Thompson missed Monday’s game with an illness, but looked like his usual self Wednesday. He’s not going to fill up the stat sheet, but Thompson can still provide fantasy managers with some points and 3-pointers. The 34-year-old shooting guard is what he is at this point of his career and he’s perhaps even more unlikely to have big games on the Mavs where they typically spread the shots around.

Green wasn’t efficient, but got there on volume as he’s done more than a few times this season. The 22-year-old shooting guard had 22 points on 21 shots and was 0-of-3 from behind the 3-point line. He also had zero assists and two turnovers, but was still +18 in 38 minutes in the 11-point Rockets victory. Green is a better asset in fantasy formats that either don’t include or lessen the importance of turnovers and field goal percentage.

Brooks again played 40 minutes without issue, showing that he’s all the way back after missing three games with a right ankle effusion. The 28-year-old shooting guard wasn’t particularly efficient with 19 points on 15 shots, but he made three of the eight total 3-pointers the Rockets had Wednesday. Brooks is more of a deep league option, but he’ll likely have more opportunities for one more game as Amen Thompson continues to serve his suspension after an altercation with Tyler Herro.

Sengun’s six steals were a career-high. His varied skill set was on full display as he led the Rockets to victory over the Mavericks Wednesday. The 22-year-old center was a game-high +21 in 37 minutes in the 11-point victory. He remains a top-40 fantasy player on the season.